Canada's de Bruin, Bujnowski take World Cup bobsleigh silver
Team USA's Kaillie Humphries finishes 4th
Canadians Christine de Bruin and brakeman Kristen Bujnowski will be bringing home silver from the World Cup women's bobsleigh event in La Plagne, France.
The event was won by Germany's Laura Nolte and Deborah Levi in a two-run combined time of two minutes 1.43 seconds, with the Canadians 0.21 seconds back.
WATCH | Canadians slide to silver in La Plagne:
Competing in their first race together on the 1,500-metre track, the Canadian duo celebrated after a second-place combined time of 2:01.64.
"I did brake here once in 2012 and it was that week when the coaches took me aside and told me I would be returning back to Canada to become a pilot," said de Bruin, of Stony Plain, Alta. "So, La Plagne is a special place to me because it was the beginning of a new chapter for me, and now getting a silver here makes it even more special."
The Canadians enjoyed instant chemistry from the first time they took to their sled one year ago. A former track and CrossFit athlete, Bujnowski propelled the Canadian sled to its second podium this season after earning bronze in Lake Placid, N.Y., prior to the Christmas break.
4 World Cup medals
"We were a little out of our usual rhythm last week, but were really happy with our technique today," said the 27-year-old Bujnowski, who hails from Mount Brydges, Ont. "It's really nice to feel like we are back on track."
The 2019 world bronze medallists boast four medals on the World Cup circuit.
"Every track is so different, so it always feels like we are starting from square one each week," said de Bruin. "I love Igls and we can't wait to work on continuing to improve when we get there next week. Igls is where I competed in my first world championships, and we haven't been there since the Olympic year, so we are looking forward to next week."
Stephanie Schneider and Leonie Fiebig of Germany took bronze, while Team USA pilot Kaillie Humphries finished in fourth place.
On the men's side, Canada's Justin Kripps and Cam Stones struggled to find the fast line in France, finishing in a 10th-place tie with a time of 1:59.54.
Germany's Francesco Friedrich and Alexander Schueller set the time to beat at 1:58.52, followed by Latvia's Oskars Kibermanis and Matiss Miknis at 1:58.78.
WATCH | Francesco Friedrich widens lead in 2-man points standings:
Friedrich's win gave him a 66-point lead in the two-man points standings after three races. Kibermanis moved into second, and Germany's Johannes Lochner, who isn't racing this weekend, fell from second to seventh.
Switzerland's Michael Vogt and Sandro Michel rounded out the medal podium with a time of 1:58.86.
For more bobsleigh action, tune into Road to the Olympic Games on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET and on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
With files from The Associated Press